Five Coins
by James K. Penn
Summary: Whatever happened to Merrill when she was stuck in that well during the Ultimate Street Rumble Tournament? How did she get out? This story is about her and the person responsible for why she didn't starve to death down there, and a few changes within the canon itself.
1. Prologue

As the roars and frenzied cries of a large audience echoed within the stony walls of the Valasquez Arena, a young man wandered through the empty halls and spaces of the arena.

He had heard about the Velasquez Ultimate Street Rumble by word of mouth while in a tavern. He had a few copper to spare for at least a decent seat and decided to go, though the tournament had started long before his arrival.

His golden-brown hair hung over the shoulders of his moss green tunic with gentle waves, with one braid running from the front of his head all the way over one shoulder. The tartan of his namesake draped around his waist and over his shoulder in a display of blues and greens with orange stitched crossings. He had left most of his things at the inn, so all that was on him at the moment were the necessities — the sword on his hip, the battle ax across his back, the dirk hidden under the small of his back in his kilt, and one wooden bottle tied to his hip with leather and filled with home brew~

So far, he hadn't seen a single person, not even people at the vending carts. He passed by an unattended vender's cart with a few coils of rope hanging from the posts and wondered into a breezeway where a well poked up from the ground.

It wasn't strange to him that people became this excited about feats of might and wit, but they were a wee bit regular where he came from.

He was going to continue when he noticed there was a door just beyond the well that had been completely obliterated. Wood planks and large splinters lay on the ground all around one side of the well.

This caught his eye for a moment and he figured it had been a few patrons that got too excited about the fighting in the arena and thought to have a brawl of their own, that got a little out of hand. Couldn't blame people for wanting to have fun—

Until he spotted a bag laying on the ground just by the well...

The boy cocked his head curiously, not making a sound, before he picked it up.

Simply from the sound it made and it's weight, he could quickly tell five coins were all that made up its contents. For a bag that was a bit bulky, it seemed strange for so few to be present. And by taking quick examination of his empty surroundings, and the secludedness of this part of the tournament grounds during the actual tournament itself, his next thoughts were leading to that it might have been a missed item during a violent robbery. Though there was no sign of struggle from what he could see, the thought wasn't far-fetched. Either way, the robbery would have taken place long before he made it here, so there wasn't much he could do about it now. He figured he might as well take what he could, if there was no one here to claim it~

He checked the contents of the bag. As he guessed, five coins fell out into his hand, but...there was something written on the inside of the bag...

The boy had learned the language of this land well enough since wandering it for little more than a year, and reading had been something he taught himself, with a few travel companions that had offered their assistance. However, he had never been introduced to proper spelling and grammar, contrary to what was on the message.

'Hoo evers reeding this, Im stuck in the well. Some budy please help me. Maril.'

He barely had a moment to stare at the message in surprise before a faint, raspy voice caught his ears.

" _Helllp...anybody...? Merrill's down heeere..._ "

He leaned over the well, peering down into the dark.

"Hey! I hear yeh!" He called out.

" _Haaaahhhh..._ " The voice changed to high pitched squeals and squeaks, trying to scream for joy, though unable. " _Yeees! Thank yooou—kagh!-kack!_ " This was followed by coughing.

"Don' worry! There isn't anyone around, but I can help!"

" _Pleeease...!_ "

"I knoh where there's rope, I'll be back! I'll be right back!"

" _Hurreeee...!_ "

A few minutes later, he stole the coil of rope from the shop cart and found a nearby post to tie one end to. Then he tied a large loop into the other end. It was crude, but it would get this person out.

He called back down, "I'm sendin' rope down! Loop it undah yah arms an' hold on tight!"

There was a pause from the darkness, " _Wh...wha?_ "

This was a problem he had been running into often with the people of this country - his accent...

"I said, loop it under yar arms!"

Another pause, " _...uh, sure!_ "

"Fock, 'Canae undastand yeh, Calum~ What is eht yeh says, lad~?'" He grumbled to himself before tossing the line down.

In short seconds he received a few tugs that the person was situated on the line, and he started pulling.

He had begun pulling from a distance, and he soon realized for good reason.

"Ah, what tha' hell did thas' person eat...?" He continued heaving at the taught rope, make slow, agonizing progress. "They mus' weigh a ton...!"

The voice had been small, so he assumed the weight wouldn't be cumbersome, but he was suddenly wondering if he had made a mistake with that and was currently hoisting up some fat nobleman!

After a few minutes of pulling, his hands were beginning to ache. He'd pulled and tied line on ships before, but there was nothing like trying to hoist the weight of seven cannon balls all by one's lonesome.

" _Argh, when this person sees sunlight again, I'm gonna make it clear they should have mentioned they war a fat slobberin' pig before the fact..._ " He growled.

" _Th-thank you...almost there..._ "

He could hear the voice close to the lip of the well, and before long, a dainty hand appeared over it. It pulled up with it a head of brown hair and...a sack?

He hoisted harder until the person was able to hook their arms over the lip of the well, then he rushed over to lend a hand.

It was...a girl...

He pulled her over, while also grabbing hold of the sack slung over her back, managing to pull the whole bundle on to the edge of the well.

" _Wh-watch it-watch it!_ " She rasped at him.

" _Yoo_ watch eht— _wah!_ "

She hooked her leg over the edge, her boot landed on his, he lost his balance, and the sack and girl came tumbling over the lip and right on top of him!

A stray lock of brown hair was licking at his face when he looked up and saw she was laying on him!

She had not been just any girl, she was just shorter than him! And he was rather short by the standards of his own people. All that weight he had just hoisted had been in that blasted bag she was carrying with her!

She lifted her head and he found himself staring into a playful pair of emerald green eyes, glimmering back into his.

" _Uhhhh..._ " She stared at him dumbly, her voice crackly from lots of shouting.

She quickly scurried off him until her back was against the bricks of the well.

" _Ah, hey, hahaha, sorry 'bout that~_ "

"What was the meanin' ah pullin' tha' big thing up with yeh?" He sat up on his elbows and glared at her, pointing to the sack.

" _Ah-oh-uh-this?_ " She suddenly grabbed the sack and pulled it behind her. " _Ah, just an insurance policy...it's...it's filled with old family heirlooms, haha..._ " She stared back at him with obvious nervousness.

The clinking sounds coming from the bag told him it was more gold.

"Aye, sure lass, an' Ahm the Thane of Inverness..."

" _The what of what?_ "

"Yeh think I's born yesterday?"

" _Hey, what're you getting all whiny about?_ " Her weak voice was getting snappy all of a sudden.

"Yeh couldn't ah said somethin' about theh extra weight!?"

" _Hey! Listen here, you!_ " She pointed her finger, unable to shout at all. " _It's none of your business what I got in here! Capisce!? Settle with it being something that's very-very important to me! I couldn't leave it behind! You'd do the same thing!_ "

He couldn't argue, being a former horse and cattle thief, but he wasn't about to admit that to this...this _hawker!_

He growled at her, "Not thinkin' ta' mention a turn in things doesn't help _enaigh_ —" he had to stop himself and breath a moment, " _Fine_. I got ye' out the well, yoo got yer 'heirlooms', all's well with the world, aleigh?"

" _Almost..._ " she glared back at him defensively with this barely audible comeback.

She hoisted the sack over her shoulder and stood up, looking weak and tired, but obviously not wanting his help.

After he stood, she took a quick moment to let her eyes glide over him, more particularly his clothing. He knew this because he got it everywhere he went.

" _Uh...nice clothes!_ " She said this, trying to be nice, since he'd rescued her. " _And uh...thanks, for saving me!_ " She hefted the bag once and began walking away, but stopped.

He stared at her a moment, and it looked like her entire body was shaking.

Suddenly, she turned around quickly, walked over to him and slammed the bag down right in front of him with a loud clinking of coins.

She jerked it open and began rummaging, all while grumbling to herself. It was so weak and airy, he could barely make out a word.

She grabbed his hand and shoved coins in it. " _Here's ten to go with the five that was in that bag you found. Buy yourself a room, a hot meal and an extra few drinks on me, kay?_ "

In a flash, she shut the bag, hoisted it over her shoulder like it was filled with feathers, and sped off at a fast walk.

And thus, Calum MacDhòmhnaill of Glencoe, son of Graem MacDhòmhnaill, and heir to the bloodline of Angus Aug MacDhòmhnaill and Somerled was left standing in an empty breezeway by a well, with a fist full of coins and the name of a girl that sounded like more trouble than he wanted. He would have been fine with just the money after this encounter.

"Merrill, eh? Happy trails to yeh, an' good riddance..."

 **AN:** I began writing this fanfiction about three years ago and never posted it because I had very little knowledge of fanfiction sites and no drive to become a writer at the time, and also I had written it in script format for a doujin. Had I been enticed enough to post it, I would probably be further along in things now, but oh well. I really enjoyed this anime, _Rune Soldier_. I liked the satire appeal it placed on fantasy tales while also remaining true to many of the rules involved with fantasy tales. It showed the people who created it had respect for the genre of fantasy, but weren't afraid to poke fun at their interests. Anyways, I'm going to continue transcribing some of my old scenes for this into novel format, and start writing up new ones. The next post should be pretty soon. Let me know if you want me to tone down Calum's phonetics (accent) for reading fluency.

And please let me know what you guys think, I enjoy hearing from you. I hope you enjoy! =D

 **Glossary**

Hawker - coin term for thief

MacDhòmhnaill - the Gaelic form of MacDonald


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A few weeks later.

Merrill's old home had been washed away the night before during the torrential downpour, which had caused the river right next to her, under the bridge no less, to overflow and wash everything away. She had barely managed to make it out alive, with only the savings in her 'Darling Jar' number two.

"Ila..." Merrill groaned, "Yeah it was small, but why did you have to call it a shack...?"

But it was nothing to worry about, because with the savings left in her Darling Jar Number Two, she had enough to acquire a new home, and then some!

"Oh~" She squealed, clasping her hands next to her cheek, "It's the most beautiful house in all the city, in all of Ohfun~!"

However, what she had described as being a beautiful house, most would have described as being a fixer-upper that was barely worth the attention. Ah, people just didn't know how to spot a diamond in the rough.

She was in the market to purchase construction supplies. She needed paint, shingles, nails and planks of wood. She could get most of these from her contracting job. She'd been working with those guys for so long, there was no way they could deny her some of the leftover scraps!

After talking with Bart, her foreman, and getting the okay, she feasted her eyes on what they had for her.

"I think this should be enough, Merrill," Bart grinned with his bearded face, "It's the least we can do after hearing about your old home."

Several stacks of beams and planks lay before her, as well as paint canisters and a few dozen boxes of nails.

"Bart, you're the best~ I'll put in extra hours for—"

"Are you daft, woman? You work like an ox already. I would be a shit boss if I denied you this! I can only pay you as much as it is."

' _Bart's been cutting pay again, that cheap, scheming...son of a gun..._ ' She nodded her head earnestly and decided to forgive him this time, interested to see how he'd get out of it next time.

It was all there for her to grab, there wasn't anyone available to help, and she didn't have the money to rent a cart and a horse, so she decided to start picking away at the heavy stuff first, to get it out of the way.

She trudged through the market streets with several long planks on her shoulder.

" _Rrrrgh-Gnnngh-Hrrrrgh_ ~" Sweat poured down her temples and cheeks as she fought to keep her balance.

She was strong and hefty, but more fast and agile than anything, and these damn things were heavy!

' _Maybe I should ask Louie and Genie to help... No! It's my home! Mine! And I'm doing this all on my own! They're not supposed to see it until I'm finished!_ '

She turned her head and caught sight of something strange and familiar.

A blue and green 'skirt' wrapped around a pair of legs with a large piece of sash draping up over one shoulder.

He had been standing by a blacksmith's booth, looking at swords, when his head turned and made eye contact with her!

" _Ggh!_ " She snapped away and kept lugging the planks forward.

' _What's_ he _doing here!? I didn't think I'd ever see him again, I thought I wouldn't even recognize him, but who could forget_ that _look... What kind of man walks around wearing a skirt, and such a weird looking one at that?_ '

Ohfun was a major trade country where prosperity and freedom reigned, so it only made sense they got so many different types wandering through town. She'd even seen a dwarf or two once.

It was a long trip back to the house. At this rate, she would be done with getting all the supplies to the house by _sundown!_ And even then, she'd be too exhausted to work, she'd have to wait until tomorrow, unless she got some help.

But she wasn't going to ask that weirdo for help, what was she thinking!? With how nosy he was the first time they met, trying to get money out of her gambling funds.

She stopped to rest a minute and sat on the stack of blanks.

But after catching her breath, she saw him again, looking at a booth selling beef steaks!

" _What!?_ "

She got up and lugged the planks back on her shoulder.

" _Think you're gonna follow me, it's not happening pal!_ " She grumbled.

She glared at the weirdo while passing by, to make sure he wasn't scanning her.

Two blocks later she stopped again.

"Phew~ He's nowhere to be see- _huh!?_ "

He was just a few stalls down, looking at jars of milk!

' _What the hell!_ '

She quickly hoisted the planks up again—

" _Wuh~Whoa~!_ " Her foot slipped and they began swaying to one side! " _Oh no! Ah—!_ "

She felt them hit something, but they were stopped in place.

She had to stamp down one foot to keep herself from falling, "Huh...?"

Merrill turned her head and saw the boy from before at the end of the planks that stuck out behind her, holding them up with his shoulder.

"Hi~" he said.

'' _Hi' he says~_ ' she growled at him. "Wh-what're you doin' here!?"

She tossed the planks down all together, so he just let them fall from his shoulder.

"Ah, hey! Is tha' any way ta' thank a stranger!?" He snapped.

"I gave you your thank you back at the tournament! What!? You come looking for more, is that it!?" She leaned forward, leering at him with one eye and a hands on her hips.

His fists clenched, "Ah don' expect nothin' for a good turn! Ah good turn is all it is!"

"Then what're you following me around for!?"

"I'm shoppin' aroond! I didn' kno' tha' was ah crime! What're yoo doin' carryin' around planks and goin' in the same direction as me!?"

"You've got to be kidding me! No way was I going in the same direction as you! You were following me!"

"An' I'm jus' supposed ta' take yeh word on tha'!? What're yeh doin' luggin' aroond all these planks for anyway!"

" _Arrrgh!_ " She ruffled her hair with both hands, "The way you talk is driving me _crazy!_ _Can't you enunciate at all!?_ "

" _Ah! Sorry! I din' kno' my foreign tongue was an affront to tha' queen!_ "

" _You take that back!_ "

" _Was it too rich for yeh, your highness—!?_ "

A grunt sounded from between their enclosed faces. " _Ahem..._ "

They turned to see a large guardsman looking down on them with a rough, bland expression of annoyance.

Being a thief, Merrill knew she had to behave herself.

"Ah-hahahahaha~ Hey there mister guard man~!"

"Eh guardy~ What's tha' hassle~?"

She noticed the boy stiffening up right next to her. What did he have to be all cautious for?

"Me n' me friend are jus' havin' a minor exchange ah disagreements is all~"

"Y-Yeah, haha, isn't that right, buddy~?"

Neither of them wanted to end up in holding cells for disturbing the peace. And if she got one right next to his, she'd have to listen to that stupid-stupid- _stupid_ accent of his until she finally passed out from his sheer stupidity while foaming at the mouth!

They locked arms around each other and pasted on big grins.

"Like I's tellin' ya~ Ya canae expect these planks ta' last long withoot proper weather treatment," the boy said.

"And, as I was telling you before, I can't afford that kind of treatment right now, so I'll have to wait until my next paycheck."

"But, I heard there's gonna' be anotha' rain tonigh'~"

"Ah, but we don't want to start up again, do we~? Hahaha~"

' _This guy's good at putting on a ruse... What's his play...?_ ' Merrill thought.

"Hmmm..." the guard grumbled passively before walking away.

" _Haaahh~_ " Merrill and the stranger breathed a sigh of relief.

"Aleigh, I see me bein' around yoo can cause some easy issues, so I'll get outta' yeh hair an'—"

"Wellll..." Merrill looked away.

"Wuh...?" the strange stranger stopped.

She needed a moment to think.

' _Geez this is a stupid spot to be in... I need the help, but I'm already sick of being around him... But...as long as we can get it done before noon, I guess it's okay...then he can go away and I'll hopefully never see him again~_ '

"Eh..." She looked at him.

"Hm?"

"I do need some help moving my supplies..." she scratched a cheek.

"An' what are the supplies for?"

"Help me with this and I'll show you."

Ten minutes of carrying later, the house popped out at them off the side of the dirt road.

"See~? Isn't it beautiful~?" Merrill swooned.

"Though it's run down, it has character," the boy places his hands on his hips while eying the building. Then he winked at her, "Unlike its owner~"

" _Krgh-shut up,_ " she glared, "Once I finish, it will be magnificent! So beautiful~ My own hooome~!"

He raised his arms and cradled the back of his head idly, "You've got quite ah spread before yeh. This won't be ah one day job, yeh kno'."

"I know that, stupid!" she snapped, "That's why I'm still talking to you!"

"Eh?"

" _I-uh-wh-_ what I mean to say is...I am going to need help, and I don't really have anyone else I can ask..."

"Tha' so..."

"Y-Yeah..." She looked away, twisting her hands in front of her shorts.

"Aleigh. I think it's doable."

"Wh-what? You will?"

"Aye~ I didn't have much planned for today."

"But, don't expect to receive any pay or anything!"

"Aleigh, it's cruel treatment, but yoo need the help."

"A-anyway, I at least can pay you with food and alcohol."

"Yar gonna' need alo' uh tha'~" he chuckled.

"Have you ever done something like this before?" she asked, a little concerned.

The boy walked up through the weed infested yards and picked up a chunk of broken brick, "I know a lil' uh buildin' homes, though the architecture here is very different from my homeland."

"Where would that be?"

He turned and looked back at her, "I suppose...northwest uh here, roughly."

"Far away?"

"Aye."

Merrill shook her head, "You're a strange one, that's for sure. So what do I call you?"

"I'm Calum MacDhòmhnaill of Glencoe, anju?"

"Uh...I'm Merrill...o-of Ohfun. Okay, Calum Mac... Okay Calum, let's get back into town so we can grab the rest of the stuff."

"Aleigh."

* * *

After getting the rest of Merrill's things moved to the property, it was only just after noon.

"Phew, just barely made it~" Merrill appeared in teal green overalls with her cuffs rolled over her sandals.

Callum stopped when he spotted her in this. It didn't look like she was wearing anything underneath, though the same could almost be said for that pink piece she had been wearing earlier with that other item they called 'shorts' in this country, her shorts being rather _short_ , not that he was complaining. It wasn't anything he was unaccustomed to, since people in his land had barely heard of a clothing item called 'underwear', which was pretty prominent in Ohfun.

Merrill pointed at the overgrown front yard, "Okay, so how about you start with pulling up all these weeds while I get started on the roof?"

"We're jus' startin' an' yeh already want me on yard work!?"

"Hey! I hired you, so you do what I say and zip it! I do plenty of my fair share of work on a daily basis, so I know what I'm doin' here!"

"Wouldn' it be better if I were workin' on the roof too, handin' yoo the shingles an' planks so yeh only have ta' pry n' nail?"

This rewarded him a glare, and Merrill picked up a stack of shingles and nails while growling at him.

"You stay down here and pull weeds, that is all you do for now, you got that?"

Still growling, she stomped off toward the roof.

"Tells me ta' pull weeds..." Callum grumbled while walking off to a large bush of tall weeds. "There's entire walls on tha' thing tha' need ta' be dismantled an' rebuilt, an' she wants me pullin' weeds, tha' hell is wrong with tha' girl..."

He gripped the stocks with his bare hands and began tugging them out of the earth. Thankfully it was moist from the rain recently, so there wasn't much effort to it.

Half an hour later, Callum had a large chunk of one section of the yard taken care off and a large pile of short and tall weeds sitting by the roadside, outside the gate and high stone walls surrounding the property.

He wiped his forehead, "Ah, it'd be faster work with a scythe an' some kerosene..."

There had been the sounds of a hammer pounding away from the roof of Merrill's estate, but Callum soon noticed a raspy voice rising up. It was singing.

" _La~lala~lala~la~_ "

"Ah, look, she can actually be happy abou' somethin', go figure~" he cracked to himself.

Suddenly the hammering stopped.

" _Ack!_ " the raspy voice turned from lulling to panicky gibberish.

He saw Merrill leap up into the air all of a sudden and start running around in circles while clutching her hand.

"Eh! Yoo aleigh!?" he called up.

Suddenly a big cloud of dust puffed up when she fell through the roof into the attic.

"Merrill!"

Callum rushed into the mansion, evading the old furniture and rubble inside, hoping the staircases wouldn't crumble underneath him, until he made it up to the attic.

"Eh! Yoo aleight!?" He repeated, looking through heavily dusted dim of the attic.

" _Kagh!-Ahack!-Koff!_ " Merrill's hacking and coughing sounded. "Yeah...!"

Callum's pirate boots clomped through the floating dust toward her, "Ya need help? Ya hurt at all?"

Merrill was sitting on the floor holding her hand when she finally became visible through the dust.

"I just stubbed my thumb with the hammer, genius!" she snapped at him. "Don't get your skirt all in a wad!"

"Eh! I's jus' askin' if ya needed some help! That was a nasty fall!" Callum snapped back. "Is tha's how yeh respond to kindness in this country!? An' it's not ah skirt!"

"I can take care of myself! I don't need you lording over me, asking if I'm going to be alright every time I prick a finger!"

"Well, excuse meh for havin' a heart! I can see the shanty-girl's has turned to stone!"

"What's that!?" she got up, still clutching her thumb. "You best watch your mouth, mountain-boy, or I'll clock ya into next week!"

"A's good! Cause I'll need the sleep afta' dealin' with yeh scorn!"

Their noses were almost touching as they snarled at each other.

"Get back outside and pull weeds..." she hissed.

"Happy to..." he growled back and stomped out of the attic.

* * *

The weeds themselves would be a one day job for one man.

' _This girl! What tha' hell is her problem wantin' tah spread the work so thinly..._ '

Merrill on the other hand had decided to not fiddle with the roof for the time being and instead do a simpler job, like sweeping the chimney.

Callum did his upmost to ignore her while still pulling weeds, but that raspy voice of her's, just singing away, made him feel like he couldn't think straight! It was so annoying now! She was the only person singing, so it was hard to ignore! Was she doing this just to annoy him!? Or was she aware he was even here!?

" _It's my home~ It's my home~ I'm cleaning up my home~ It's my home~_ "

She wasn't even singing anything in particular, she was just making stuff up about the house!

"Grrrgh..." Callum yanked too hard on a set of weeds and ripped the stocks in half, leaving the root in the earth. He sighed, "Great, now I have ta' try an' twist em' out..."

" _It's my home~ It's my home~ It's my home~home~home~_ "

He only knew one way to get her singing out of his head.

"Oh~ tha' summertime is comin'~ And the trees ah sweetly bloomin'~ Where tha' wild mountain thyme~ Grows around tha'—"*

" _It's my home!~It's my home!~I'm cleaning up my home!_ "

Suddenly the singing on the roof was louder...

Callum went back to twisting the stump of weeds out of the earth, before continuing on to the rest. " _Grows around tha' blooming heather~ Will ye go, lassie, go—!_ "

" _I'm cleaning up MY HOME!~It's my HOME!~It's my HOME!~I'm sweeping the CHIMNEY to my HOME!_ "

" _And we'll ALL go TOGETHER!~To pick WILD mountain THYME!~ALL around tha' BLOOMIN' HEATHER!_ "

" _IT'S DUSTY BUT IT'S FUN! I'M CLEANING UP MY HOME! IT'S MY HOME! IT'S MY HOME-FRICKIN'-HOME!_ "

" _WILL YE GO, LASSIE, GO~ GO AN' GET OUTTA' MY LIFE!~_ "

" _HEY! What the hell's your problem!?_ " Merrill stood up from the chimney, thrusting her arms down and shouting at him.

" _I's jus' doin' what you're doin', singin' to meself!_ "

" _Well keep it down, you're messing up my rhythm!_ "

"You're _messin' up_ my _rhythm! Tha' hell kinda' singin' is tha'!?_ "

" _How dare you insult my singing! I'm just about two seconds away from jumping off this roof and kicking your well-dressed ass!_ "

" _I'm better off singin' for both of us! You canae seem ta' stay on key!_ "

" _You're job isn't to sing! Got that!? It's to pull weeds! Now get back TO PULLING WEEDS!_ "

" _You'd betta' make good on tha' meal payment!_ " Callum pointed up at her. " _I'm workin' up quite an appetite just pullin' all these weeds you so graciously handed to me!_ "

" _Oh I will, ya ungrateful priss! I'll shove a bunch of potatoes down yer throat! How do ya like that!?_ "

" _Thas' people from Erin, ya twit! I'm from Alba!_ "

" _I don't know what yer talking about! JUST PULL WEEDS!_ "

" _Better be alota' alcohol! I'm gonna neeeed it if Imma' keep dealin' wath yoo~!_ "

" _SHUT UP N' PULL!_ "

"Rrrrgh!" Callum snarled and went back to the weeds. "I should have jus' stayed back home fightin' the Anglos..."

After a few minutes of pulling...

" _~home, it's my home~ I'm cleaning up my home~ And it's belongs to meeeee~!_ "

Callum heard a scramble from the chimney and Merrill's voice suddenly echoed from inside it in the form of a cry.

He turned, just in time to hear a crash from inside the house.

"No...I'm not ah walkin' in there again like ah fool jus' ta' get yelled at for askin' if she's okay..." he crossed his arms and shook his head.

Callum fought the urge to look back at the house. It was silent inside.

"I'm not fockin' doin' it..." he strained.

There was nothing from inside the house, so cries of pain or frustrated cussing.

"This girl... Is she like this when she's working that construction job she mentioned too..." he shook his head as he rushed inside the house to find Merrill sprawled in the fireplace after falling through the chimney.

He stared down at her, "Ye aleigh?"

"Agghh..." she touched her head. "Yeah...I guess..."

"Didn' hit it, did ye?"

"No..." she struggled and pushed herself up, and suddenly snapped at him, "Mind your own business!"

"Yeah, yer aleigh..."

' _Of course she is... Why'd I even bother checkin'..._ '

"Hey...uh..." she stopped him before he could head back out to continue pulling weeds. "Uh...don't worry about the weeds anymore. Could you...could you start carrying some of this old furniture out? I know a place where I can get new stuff, and I want to start this place fresh."

"...Yeah, I can do that."

"Alright..." she looked at him.

Callum froze, ' _Holy Aine! Is that a smile on her face!?_ '

"And uh...th...thank you..." Merrill wasn't looking at him when she said this.

His head snapped away too and his face felt warm, " _Ahem! Ah-uh-_ I mean, s-sure... I-It's not tha' big a trouble or anythin'..."

* * *

Callum hoisted up a weathered and worn down luxury chair and carried it outside. He had pulled down the sash of his kilt and pulled off his tunic. It was summer and moving around like this could get cumbersome, though the air felt fresh.

Merrill had set up a scaffolding earlier, without asking his help. And she would have likely snapped at him again if he ever offered it.

She stood the scaffolding right next to a wall of the house and had begun painting a part of the clay facing that had the least cracks on it, thought it would have been better to tear away most of the facing first and repair it before ever thinking about painting it.

She had also started singing again...

" _Painting my home~ I'm painting my home~_ "

It wasn't that Callum thought her singing atrocious or even bad, but that she expected him to keep quiet the entire time.

He lugged the chair over to the pile of old furniture he had started by the side of the road, next to the pile of weeds, and set it down, hearing Merrill's voice carrying all the way out to the street. She could probably be heard from way off in the woods if he walked out that far.

He had just passed the gate. He could see her still painting away, whipping the brush in every manageable direction against the wall.

' _I don't know much about painting anything, but is that how they do it in this country...?_ '

"And she calls me strange..." he muttered.

" _I'm painting my home~ It's time to paint my home~ Lots of paint~_ to it—!"

She suddenly kicked the paint bucket by her feet and stumbled on the scaffolding!

" _Wuh-huya-!_ "

The scaffolding leaned back with her struggling to keep her balance while on top!

"Ya gotta' be fockin' kiddin' me. _Hey!_ " Callum began running over.

The scaffolding jerked back and forward, then back again and Merrill was forced to lean forward.

" _Ahhh—!_ "

Her face planted smack into the fresh white paint she had just spread on the dilapidated wall.

" _Hald ahn nao!_ " He shouted. Callum was running at full sprint and wasn't sure if he'd make it at this distance.

"I'm okay!" Merrill grunted, but she didn't look it with the tips of her shoes being the only thing touching the scaffolding, desperately trying to pull it upright, while her hands splayed on the wall with her face right up against it. She struggled to pull her face away while holding the scaffolding at an angle at the same time, " _Nnnn-rrrr-nnnngh—!_ "

The scaffolding began leaning further away, making her face slide down the wet paint.

" _You've got to stick your butt in the air and try to bring the scaffolding back to you!_ "

" _What!?_ "

She actually started doing this from instinct instead of anything he had to say.

Merrill twisted her face to the side, with one eye glaring at the wall while the other bulged with surprise.

She tried pushing herself up to create more leverage.

Her feet slipped, the scaffolding fell, and Merrill was air-born for the third time today, plummeting toward the ground.

" _D-djaaahh—_ huh?"

She didn't fall face first into the dirt this time.

Callum looked down at Merrill in his arms. She looked around curiously like she'd never been outside before, and then up at him.

With his arms out, and no more than a stumble, he had caught her bridal style like in many tacky romance stories that had been told to them as kids.

The half of her face that wasn't painted in white turned beet red as she stared up at him, her eyes shimmering for a moment.

"U-Um...hallo..." his face felt red too. She felt soft and light in his arms...

"Uh...dh... Hi..." her mouth gaped.

He set her down gently, "Might be nice to watch your footing when up that high."

Merrill held her hands against her chest and gave him a once over. It was similar to when he first met her, only this time it was less adverse and she took a bit longer doing it.

"Uh-uh yeah... Th-Thank you... Hey, what did you say?"

"Say what?"

"When you were shouting," she crossed here eyes, "You were like, ' _Aye~ ah-oh-agh~ stawk yarl_ boot _inneh ahrl~_ '"

Callum frowned, "Yoo do nae sound right when yeh say it..."

"Well, that's what I heard, smartass!"

"Ah said 'stack yar boot up in tha' air'."

" _Ah-hahahaha~_ " Merril pointed at him, "You can't say it right~you can't say it right~"

Callum growled at her and focused hard, "I...said...'stick yar _butt_ up in the _air_...'"

"Well what would you want me to do that for!"

"Yoo did it anyway!"

"Well someone certainly knows a lot about butts!"

"I kno' faces pretty good too, an' yoo should've seen yours~!" He pointed and cackled, "Aw, tha' was too good!"

"Are you saying I have a funny face!?"

"Well, when it's covered in paint, a li'l~" Callum winked.

She held her snarling glare on him before touching her face and seeing the paint on it.

Merrill's expression softened into a little smile, "Yeah...I guess so."

"Actually, it reminds me a li'l of home, if it were blue," Callum smiled back.

"You're accent is so strange, I can half understand what you're saying when you shout."

"I canae change how I talk, it's where I'm from. It is as it is," he shrugged.

"No...I wouldn't want you to do that..." Merrill cast her eyes down at the grass. "So does Alba, or wherever have a native language or something?"

"Aye."

"Would you speak some of it for me please? Just don't call me stupid or anything," she glared.

Callum chuckled, "Ah, maybe another time~"

"Aw, c'mon!"

"Nae, it'll cost yeh extra, shanty-girl," Callum began walking back to the living room.

"What are you, a street performer!?" she followed.

"I played inna few taverns before~"

"Well, hey, this is about time for a break anyway."

"Oh, thank Aine, my slave drivin' master has bequeathed unto me ah time of rest~"

"Can it..."

There was a picnic table set up in the front yard with a water bucket and ladle.

Merrill grabbed the ladle and took a long drink while Callum grabbed one of the few cloths laying by and began wiping his neck.

Merrill looked at the house, "Ya know, I wonder how much more paint I'll need for this. Paint's not cheap and there will be a lot more needed on this job."

Callum handed her a cloth, she wetted it and splashed it on her face to get the paint off, and handed him the ladle.

Callum dipped the ladle while looking over the house, "Once it's been straightened out, I think it can do without paint for a while. Tha' rustic look is good on it."

"Yeaaah, and I'll be able to afford whatever else I need."

"Aye, but after we get this all cleaned up, you're goin' ta' need some serious work done on tha' section over there. It's practically fallin' apart."

"Yeah, I realized that when I fell through the roof, genius-uh-uh-uhhh..."

Callum was using the ladle to pour water over his head. It felt nice and cool against the summer light with the air blowing a little. He felt it running from his hair and down his bare back and chest~

After he finished, Merrill had become silent for some reason. He knew she was about to make a crack at him again, but she stopped and was now just staring directly at him like his skin color had started changing blue or something.

"Merrill...? Merrill...hey, Merrill...yo...Merrill, somethin' wrong?"

She blinked and suddenly shook her head, "A-ah-ah-ha!? _No!_ No captain! No, nothing wrong here. I..."

Her eyes started darting around until they suddenly landed on his sword still on his hip.

"Uh, why do you still have that on? We're renovating my house, not raiding it."

He looked down, still puzzled about what that little act was for, "Uh, aye, uh... Chalk it up ta' this, there are people in this world who do things for their own reasons..."

"Yeah...I have a friend who does the same."

"Hmm...I imagine they been places they canae come back from sometimes, an' seen things they canae unsee..."

Merrill lowered her gaze, "...yeah..."

"Yoo have too," he nodded.

Merrill suddenly whipped up at him, her eyes large and a little startled, "Not a lot. Not like her..."

"I've learned in some ways, people are jus' how they are. There's no changin' it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she cheered up some. "So! What's next, let's see..."


End file.
